Dr. Lena Nazarei, RN, DNP
Lena Nazarei, DNP, RN, CCM, currently works in the medico-legal division, leveraging her medical expertise to help bridge the gap between medicine and the law by providing accurate medical information during case review. She earned an Associate of Science in Nursing from the Community College of Allegheny County in 2011. She went on to complete her Bachelor’s (2018), Master’s (2020), and Doctorate (2022) at Carlow University, all with honors. While at Carlow, she was awarded the Caritas Christi Award, served as a teaching assistant, and was a member of Alpha Tau Delta. Her doctoral research focused on reducing burnout and turnover among healthcare managers.
Lena began her nursing career in critical care, working in an acute step-down unit serving a lower-income, underserved area of Pittsburgh. She later transitioned into hospice and home care, where she sought to expand healthcare access and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. During this time, she also moved into leadership roles, strengthening her administrative and operational expertise. During the CoVID-19 pandemic, she returned to her original hospital as a unit director of a telemetry unit, leading her team through one of the most challenging times in modern healthcare.
Following the completion of her doctorate, Lena expanded her expertise within the healthcare continuum by transitioning to the insurance sector, where she supports healthcare workers during their most critical times of need. She holds advanced certifications in cardiac life support and mental health first aid, maintains a case management certification, and holds active nursing licenses in Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, and West Virginia. She is also committed to mentoring future nurses and serves as a preceptor for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students.
Beyond her professional career, Lena enjoys spending time with her two children, who recently entered adulthood, as well as her beloved dog, Juliet, and cat, Norman. A published author of four novels, she travels the country to promote her books. She hopes to one day call New Orleans home.